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Chief Children's Commissioner Says Oranga Tamariki Must Action Auditor-General's Recommendations On Contract Management

Chief Children's Commissioner Says Oranga Tamariki Must Action Auditor-General's Recommendations On Contract Management

Scoop15-05-2025
Press Release – Mana Mokopuna
It is vital that Oranga Tamariki actions the Auditor-Generals recommendations, to ensure that the rights and wellbeing of children, young people and their families are front and centre of funding decisions that affect them.
Today's report from the Auditor-General on Oranga Tamariki procurement and contract management is being welcomed by Chief Children's Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad.
'Last year, I was very clear about my concerns as to how Oranga Tamariki was making and communicating its decisions about contracted services for children, young people and their whānau.
'As the independent advocate for all children in Aotearoa New Zealand, I was very concerned that I did not see adequate evidence that children and young people, and their needs and rights, had been at the centre of the decisions being made about contract changes.
'I heard directly from iwi and communities that these funding changes were causing significant uncertainty, stress and harming their relationship with Oranga Tamariki. The Auditor-General's report today shows that my concerns, and those of others, were well-founded,' says Dr Achmad.
'Some of the contracts that were reduced or closed by Oranga Tamariki were in the important area of early intervention and prevention of harm, such as support for new families, Youth One Stop Shops (YOSSs), mentoring for young people and counselling for children and families.
'In particular, I wanted to understand what evidence had informed these decisions, and what transition plans were in place for children, young people and whānau affected by changes and reductions to services. I note in particular the Auditor-General's finding that his Office's inquiry did not find evidence that Oranga Tamariki understood how its decisions would affect children and their families, before those decisions were made.
'Oranga Tamariki is our Ministry for Children – its core role is to support the wellbeing of children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Therefore, its decision-making must be informed by detailed analysis of the likely effect on children and young people. I am pleased to see that is one of the key recommendations made by the Auditor-General.
'Together with my oversight of oranga tamariki system colleagues, I'll be watching closely to ensure that Oranga Tamariki implements all of the recommendations in the Auditor-General's report, including establishing clear and standard processes for contracting services, and properly considering how funding changes will impact children and young people's lives. I'm pleased to know that the Chief Executive has said that Oranga Tamariki has accepted all the Auditor-General's recommendations, and I have discussed this with him today.
'It is vital that Oranga Tamariki actions the Auditor-General's recommendations, to ensure that the rights and wellbeing of children, young people and their families are front and centre of funding decisions that affect them. The relationships Oranga Tamariki holds with its partners are crucial to this, and must be continue to be strengthened.'
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Otago Daily Times

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Oranga Tamariki's near $2m bill for 'bloated' comms team

Otago Daily Times

time11-07-2025

  • Otago Daily Times

Oranga Tamariki's near $2m bill for 'bloated' comms team

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Oranga Tamariki paying nearly $2m a year to communications staff
Oranga Tamariki paying nearly $2m a year to communications staff

RNZ News

time11-07-2025

  • RNZ News

Oranga Tamariki paying nearly $2m a year to communications staff

The agency was paying everyone in the communications department over $100,000 a year. Photo: RNZ Documents show Oranga Tamariki pays nearly $2m to its 14 communications staff - after cutting five staff and half a million dollars in the past year while other staff are banned from speaking to media without authorisation. The revelations came from an Official Information Act (OIA) response to questions raised by the Taxpayers Union lobby group. In it, the children's ministry confirmed that as of 31 March it employed two media advisers, two communications advisers, two senior media advisers, six senior communications advisers, a chief media adviser and a manager of organisational communications. The total salary budget for the team was $1.97m. "All staff in the roles listed above currently earn over $100,000 per year," the ministry said in its response. A report from a select committee review shows this was down from 19 staff at a cost of $2.72m as of 30 June the previous year, though show staff numbers and costs have fluctuated over the past five financial years. Cost figures have been rounded. The OIA response also provided details about Oranga Tamariki's code of conduct relating to engagement with the media, which included a directive that no information was to be provided without explicit authorisation. It cited privacy and confidential information as a reason, saying that given the nature of Oranga Tamariki's work, "we have access to confidential, sensitive and personal information. It is expected that all our people will show integrity and follow the law, our policies and systems regarding collecting, storing, accessing and sharing of Oranga Tamariki information". "We do not speak, or provide information, to the media regarding any work-related activity, event or query, unless explicitly authorised," the code states. "It is important that we continue to hold this duty of confidentiality of information even after we leave Oranga Tamariki." Staff are encouraged to speak up about any serious wrongdoing they became aware of "using appropriate avenues", pointing to the protected disclosures whistleblowing regime as one option. In a statement, the Taxpayers' Union said the ministry was "drowning in PR while kids fall through the cracks". "A bloated comms team paid at least 30 percent more each than the median wage would be bad enough in a company, but in a government agency meant to protect vulnerable children, it's obscene." RNZ has sought a response from Oranga Tamariki. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

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